Sudan calls for US neutrality

The Sudanese President, Omar el-Bashir, has called on the United States to show neutrality while facilitating negotiations between the government and southern rebels.

In a separate statement, the president's advisor , Ghazi Salah el-Din Atabani, warned that US financial aid to the rebels would only prolong Sudan's 18-year-old civil war.

The US has signed a $3m contract to provide training and other aid to help the Sudanese rebels to participate in efforts to find peace with the central government.

Sudan marks 46 years of independence from Britain and Egypt on New Year's Day.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service